Colonoscopy & Endoscopy at same time??!!

[24601NoMore]

Hey gang..how many of you have done a colonoscopy AND endoscopy at the same appointment? GI has scheduled me for the Endo since I've been having lower right side abdominal pain (flares up after too much adult beverage, too much caffeine or too much spicy food) and Colon since I'm > 50 and have not done yet, and I am FREAKING **TERRIFIED** (putting it mildly) - especially of the Endoscopy as I can't even generally do dental X-Rays with that big hunk of plastic they use in my mouth without feeling like I'm going to gag. Someone running a garden hose down my mouth - NO FREAKING WAY!!!

Doc has assured me I'll be "out" on Propofol and won't remember anything, and I've had family members who have done that say it's "no big deal" (riiiiight).

Have any of you done the "double dip"? Gastro is experienced (21+ years and did his GI study at Tulane U) but I'm terrified both of the experience (especially the Endo part though the Colon part is also freaking me out) as well as potential complications. I've done too much googling and have heard people have **died** from colonoscopy complications and knowing me, something is bound to go wrong as that seems to always happen..

Would appreciate any advice or experiences you guys have had..my anxiety level is so far off the map I can't describe it. If I don't cancel it'll be a miracle..appt is one week out so it is truly time to panic..

 

[Dd852]

Sure. I’ve done both, both with sedation and — something probably not for you! — without. I’m doing the double dip again in two weeks. With sedation it really is like a dream. Without... I found the endoscopy hard as I gagged on the equipment but I did get it down. The colonoscopy without sedation is weird but not at all horrible. Honestly, from my point of view the worst part is the prep. rather than the procedures themselves as I just don’t like the process of emptying my body (sorry). But honestly, in the scheme of nastiness I’ve experienced, these are not a huge deal for me and if you get sedated they won’t be for you either. Good luck

 

[24601NoMore]

Holy cow! Done WITHOUT sedation? Any particular reason why??

 

[Walt34]

Hey gang..how many of you have done a colonoscopy AND endoscopy at the same appointment? GI has scheduled me for the Endo since I've been having lower right side abdominal pain (flares up after too much adult beverage, too much caffeine or too much spicy food) and Colon since I'm > 50 and have not done yet, and I am FREAKING **TERRIFIED**

Don't be. Really. I've had both done at the same time. At the time I was anemic (low red blood cell count) and they were trying to find out where the blood was going. Turned out I had a bleeding ulcer (since healed) and they also diagnosed the celiac disease. This was ~1991.

You won't remember a thing. Do make sure to have someone drive you home, you will feel fine but you're not, not completely. I remember walking out to the parking lot and looking down to make sure I'd put my pants back on, I didn't remember getting dressed. I'm pretty sure DW wouldn't have let me walk out without my pants on but that didn't occur to me at the time.

And I've had colonoscopies done many times, in fact I'm getting one Tuesday (oh joy!). The worst part is the preparation and that's more of an inconvenience than anything else.

So listen to your friends and family who have had it done and relax. It's no big deal.

 

[braumeister]

Be sure to ask the doc to do the endo first. When they do the colo first they sometimes forget to rinse the scope off before running it down your throat.

 

[calmloki]

Had an endo without sedation, just a gag-worthy throat numbing goop. Handy trick: tuck your thumbs inside your fists and squeeze. Somehow that really reduces the gag reflex, and I tend to pooh pooh pressure point cosmic zen stuff.

Propofol? multiple experiences: night night - you won't have a clue. Do see if the experienced doc can take a picture of the two cables meeting - maybe a shot of them tied in a bow?

 

[Ronstar]

I had both at the same time. The endoscopy was rough. I gagged trying to swallow the tube. I think nervousness led to the gagging. The nurse got me to calm down. And it went ok after that. The colonoscopy was not bothersome.

 

[Walt34]

Be sure to ask the doc to do the endo first. When they do the colo first they sometimes to forget to rinse the scope off before running it down your throat.

Propofol? multiple experiences: night night - you won't have a clue. Do see if the experienced doc can take a picture of the two cables meeting - maybe a shot of them tied in a bow?

Sheesh. 50,000 comedians are out of work and we get stuck with these two....

 

[shortstop14]

I had both at the same time last year, because I got turned down for double red blood cell donation due to slightly low iron. They were done under sedation, I didn't remember a thing. The prep is better now than it used to be, but still not a great way to spend a day.

 

[24601NoMore]

I had both at the same time. The endoscopy was rough. I gagged trying to swallow the tube. I think nervousness led to the gagging. The nurse got me to calm down. And it went ok after that. The colonoscopy was not bothersome.

Sounds like you were not sedated for the Endo if the nurse was trying to calm you down?

I thought you were 100% blottoed / "out" if you were sedated on Propofol..

 

[bmcgonig]

Done both and was out for both. No problem at all. Can't imagine doing an endoscopy without sedation.

 

[txtig]

I had the “double dip” a couple of months ago, sedated with propofol. It was no different for me than any of my prior colonoscopy-only procedures. I wouldn’t worry a bit about have both procedures at the same time. As usual, the worst part of the whole thing is the prep. The procedures are themselves are a piece of cake.

 

[MRG]

I had both at the same time. The endoscopy was rough. I gagged trying to swallow the tube. I think nervousness led to the gagging. The nurse got me to calm down. And it went ok after that. The colonoscopy was not bothersome.

I've had both done at the same time without problems.

I also had an upper done with versed, I was on a med(ambien) that made versed useless. I choked all the way through. They gave me something to kill my gagging, but never again.

 

[bigcmagor]

Yep. Both directions during the same sedation. Don't remember a thing.

 

[Dd852]

Holy cow! Done WITHOUT sedation? Any particular reason why??

1/I was really curious
2/I don’t like feeling dopey
3/Stubborn and competitive, so when my wife told me I should have sedation, I reflectively shot back “Nah, no need”

 

[Closet_Gamer]

I too have had both done at the same time. No difference in experience from just having a colonoscopy. As everyone else has noted, the prep is the worst part.

Good luck.

 

[redduck]

Hey gang..how many of you have done a colonoscopy AND endoscopy at the same appointment? GI has scheduled me for the Endo since I've been having lower right side abdominal pain (flares up after too much adult beverage, too much caffeine or too much spicy food)

... If I don't cancel it'll be a miracle..appt is one week out so it is truly time to panic..

I've had them done (under sedation) at the same appointment . It doesn't make much sense to have them done at two different times. And, it is no big deal. What might be a big deal is your not undergoing these procedures and therefore not helping the doctors learn more about your abdominal pain.

Remember, you are not blazing a trail here, a whole lot of people (way more than two dozen at last count) have had these procedures done and lived to tell about it.

 

[Scrapr]

pro tip on the colonoscopy prep. Eat light for a few days prior to prep. It will lighten the load so to speak.

* 7 timer I think. 2 on back to back days. That was a joy

 

[Walt34]

What might be a big deal is your not undergoing these procedures and therefore not helping the doctors learn more about your abdominal pain.

That's the main issue. Several years ago I was about to have a cardiac cathertization done. By a guy I'd just met about ten minutes before. Talk about TERRIFIED - this guy was going to insert a tube into my femoral artery (can you say "bleed out in five minutes?" if things go badly?) and then start poking around in my heart arteries. What could possibly go wrong?

I asked the nurse who was prepping me if they'd ever had someone get off the table and run out. "Oh, yes. We can't make you go if you don't want to. It usually turns out badly though so it isn't recommended."

So I definitely get where RetireSoon is coming from. Been there done that.

 

[ReadySetGo]

I have had them done in the same appt and was frustrated recently when insurance (Aetna) made me do them during two separate visits. I think the two-for-one is a much better deal for you as a patient. Good luck!

 

[MRG]

pro tip on the colonoscopy prep. Eat light for a few days prior to prep. It will lighten the load so to speak.

* 7 timer I think. 2 on back to back days. That was a joy

+1

I had a sigmoidoscopy after having Salmonella for 4 days. Easy prep.[emoji23]

 

[24601NoMore]

Thanks, guys. I was terrified about the Colonoscopy but am somewhat resigned to that one. It's the Endo that is freaking me out. I can't imagine someone being able to get a reasonably big tube down my throat. I have an extremely / unnaturally high gag reflex and as those of you here who know me by know have probably realized, am a high stress person to begin with. As long as I am "truly" 100% completely out, I assume I'll be fine - but I can't imagine I'd be "out" when they're trying to "tube" me from either end..

On the other hand, I do want to know what the heck is going on with my lower right abdominal pain..it comes and goes - if I baby myself and stay entirely away from alcohol and have max 1 coffee a day plus do a bunch of herbal and vitamin remedies for inflammation, IBD/IBS, etc (eg: peppermint or fennel tea) I'm reasonably good after about a week or so - so I "think" it's either IBS/IBD, Gastritis, etc vs something more deadly like cancer. But, as many of you know, I'm retiring (now 1/2/19 so I could finish some things up and get paid Q3 and Q4 bonuses) and DW has been holding off retiring in case they do find something and we need the good corporate paid healthcare we both currently have. She just turned 61 so I want her to be able to put in her notice also but she's been hanging on until she knows I'm good to go. So in a way I "have" to do this so she can also RE and get on with enjoying life. That's some strong motivation but doesn't mean I'm any less totally freaked out.

Thanks for all the help..keep it coming!

 

[redduck]

1/I was really curious
2/I don’t like feeling dopey
3/Stubborn and competitive, so when my wife told me I should have sedation, I reflectively shot back “Nah, no need”

A truly stubborn and competitive person doesn't do the prep.

... As everyone else has noted, the prep is the worst part.
Good luck.

I always considered the prep part as being the most fun.

 

[Walt34]

Thanks, guys. I was terrified about the Colonoscopy but am somewhat resigned to that one. It's the Endo that is freaking me out. I can't imagine someone being able to get a reasonably big tube down my throat.

I couldn't imagine that either. BTW, I just had an endoscopy done about two years ago. Looking at the tube it is a bit intimidating. They start an IV line before going into the operating room. Here, they tell you when the anesthesia is being started, but only rarely do I feel anything unusual. No "getting sleepy" or anything like that, at least for me.


Then you wake up in the recovery area. That's it.

Oh, and do ask for copies of the pictures. They're great for when house guests stay too late and you can break those out for show 'n tell. Or use 'em for a screen saver at work. Then when someone suggests that your head is in there you'll have proof that it isn't.

 

[braumeister]

Oh, and do ask for copies of the pictures. They're great for when house guests stay too late and you can break those out for show 'n tell. Or use 'em for a screen saver at work. Then when someone suggests that your head is in there you'll have proof that it isn't.

And he complains about MY attempts at comedy!

But last month I had one of those ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysm. I had never had an ultrasound before, so I unleashed my best line:

"Are you going to tell me whether it's a boy or a girl?" I asked with a grin.

The tech rolled her eyes about six inches up behind her forehead and just muttered "If I had a dollar for every time ..."

I was suitably chastened.